WALTERBORO, S.C. – A South Carolina man is thankful for a DVD that ended up taking a bullet for him.

Colleton County Fire and Rescue Director Barry McRoy says he was leaving a Waffle House restaurant in Walterboro on Saturday morning when two men ran in fighting over a gun. Police say a bullet hit one of the struggling men, shattered a window and then hit McRoy.

The bullet hit a DVD McRoy was carrying in his pocket. He suffered a bruise but didn’t realize he had been shot. As he told a police officer what happened he noticed a bullet hole in his jacket, the shattered DVD case and a piece of the bullet.

“I was saved by a DVD,” McRoy says. “How lucky can you get?”

One man was arrested on assault and battery and gun charges. The DVD was nicked. It was a gift from an employee who had recorded a TV show about fire extinguishers.

English mastiff honored for donating blood 20 times

HOWELL, Mich. – He’s donated blood 20 times and is being honored by the Livingston County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Not bad for a 200-pound, 2-year-old English mastiff who answers to the name Lurch. He’ll receive the chapter’s “Pet’s Best Friend” award at an event here Thursday.

“We’re doing something different this year,” executive director Diane Serra said. “We’re honoring Lurch because he’s actually donated blood.”

Lurch’s owner, Joni Melvin-Thiede, said Lurch donates blood for other canines about once every four weeks. His blood has helped dozens, including saving one dog who got into some rat poison.

“You really don’t end up knowing which dogs he helps, but his little picture goes on each bag so the person that gets it will actually know it.”

Besides being cooperative with nurses, Lurch is also friendly with his housemates: four pugs, seven cats and the occasional litter of kittens. There’s also an American mastiff named Lucas, who teams with Lurch to eat about 200 pounds of food per month. “Mastiffs are just like 200-pound pugs,” Melvin-Thiede said. “They’re just as friendly and just as goofy except they have a couple more zeros at the end of the weight.”